Category: TV

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Harley Quinn: “Family Feud” Review

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Kyra’s Thoughts

Harley Quinn races toward its season finale with its latest episode “Family Feud.” Offline, Season mentioned that Harley and Ivy made up too quickly for her liking. I agreed but then I looked up Harley Quinn’s remaining episodes. “Family Feud” is the eighth of ten scheduled episodes for this season. We only have two episodes remaining. What? While I would’ve liked to have seen the tension between Harley and Ivy last another episode, there aren’t that many episodes remaining. Harley Quinn needed to set up the final stakes in this episode, hint at how the gang plans to overcome the stakes, and then spend another episode assembling the supporting cast (King Shark, Clayface, Bane, and Lex Luthor) so they’re ready to enter the fray before launching into the season finale.

Yes! We have a Lex Luthor sighting. It’s always fun when Giancarlo Esposito joins the cast. He didn’t have much to do in “Family Feud” because the gals broke him out of jail, and he was incapacitated in a patented way only Harley Quinn could pull off. Harley’s mom runs him over with Harley’s car.

Harley’s family is where the episode’s title “Family Feud” derives. Truth time. I forgot about Harley’s piece of crap father until he showed up in this episode. It took me a while to remember Harley’s past with him (we haven’t seen him since season 1–four seasons ago), but Harley’s family past came screaming back as soon as Mr. Quinzel double-crossed Harley for money. That rang a bell. Nick Quinzel dies for real in this episode, and Harley doesn’t get the closure she wants.

Meanwhile, Ivy sneaks into Lena’s apartment to figure out a way to infiltrate Brainiac’s lair and free Frankette. I never thought that Harley and Ivy would stay at odds for long, but “Family Feud” may have been better served if the exploits of Harley and Ivy were reversed. I may have believed Ivy forgiving Harley as quickly as she did if she had to deal with Floronic Man or someone else from her past and learn the lesson that Harley did during this episode about being there for someone you love even after they screw up. Heck. Being there for someone after they screw up may be the most important time for someone to show their love. This was a missed opportunity.

This small gripe doesn’t detract from an otherwise fun episode. “Family Feud” balances its three threads well (Harley and her family, Ivy infiltrating Lena’s apartment, and Lena’s master plan) and the episode sets up Harley Quinn for what should be a hilarious season finale.

Season’s Thoughts

The pacing of Harley and Ivy patching things up was too fast for my liking. It shouldn’t have been set up if it was going to be a rush job. I get that relationship drama pulls in an audience, but they didn’t give themselves the space to work with it. I agree with Kyra that this small thing doesn’t detract from the rest of the setup “Family Feud” provides for the season finale.

Even though I also forgot about Nick Quinzel, I enjoyed the moments between him and Harley, even though they hated each other. I think Harley and Ivy grow more as characters when they’re apart than when they’re together. Sure. Their relationship with one another and how they love each other matures throughout the series. But they tend to face their pasts alone and then confide in one another after the fact. Harley did help Ivy with Floronic Man, but Ivy tried to deal with him herself first. I think Harley Quinn does a good job of showing Harley and Ivy as individuals, and I definitely got that from “Family Feud.”

I found it amusing that Lena didn’t have any plans to harm Frankette. She waved her hand and was like, “Get out of here.” This makes me wonder if Frankette will pull off some inside work for the season finale and save Metropolis. That would be a fun twist.

Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Daredevil: Born Again, “Optics”

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Daredevil: Born Again blessed us with two episodes on opening night. We covered the first episode “Heaven’s Half Hour” in our previous post. In this post, we’ll share our thoughts about Daredevil: Born Again’s second episode “Optics.”

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. I spoke at length about my thoughts on Matt Murdock’s character journey and the camera work in our previous post. If you missed our review of Daredevil: Born Again’s first episode “Heaven’s Half Hour,” here’s a link to that post. Daredevil: Born Again’s first two episodes debuted at the same time. I’ll try to touch on things I didn’t mention in our previous post in this one. Let’s get started with Kingpin’s wife Vanessa.

I should’ve mentioned Vanessa and the fact that Kingpin became mayor of New York City in the previous post. Yikes! Those are some big omissions, but I will say that “Optics” builds on those two points more than “Heaven’s Half Hour.” Again, I’ll preface this section with a spoiler warning. At first, it looked as if Daredevil: Born Again planned for Vanessa to exit the show. Kingpin finds out that she’s cheating on him, and she begs him not to kill her lover. It doesn’t surprise me that Kingpin agrees. This shows that he loves her. I’m also not that surprised that Vanessa cheats on Kingpin. He’s been away, and she’s been left to her own devices. Like most things, “Heaven’s Half Hour” rushes these devolopments.

“Optics” takes a breath. The audience has time to absorb that Kingpin not only ran for mayor of New York City, but the city elected him mayor. We watch as Kingpin settles in as a politician. Pawns like the police commissioner, news outlets, and Fisk’s cabinet take shape. Honestly, the pacing of “Optics” reminds me a lot of the original series. We even have a chance to find more out about Matt Murdock’s supporting cast.

Truth time. I forgot the investigator who works with Murdock was the same former cop who learned Murdock’s identity as Daredevil during his rooftop fight with Bullseye. It took me his second scene as Murdock’s investigator for me to put those two things together. “Heaven’s Half Hour” flew by so fast. We needed a slower-paced episode like “Optics.”

This episode does a great job of weaving Murdock’s and Fisk’s new personal lives. “Optics” presents a lot of future tension that could bear fruit as the season progresses. Fisk functions like a man of the people mayor. This is a facade. He and Vanessa enter couples counseling. This serves double duty but in a good way. Kingpin needs to show his voters that he and his wife are on good terms. Does he go to counseling because he wants to save his marriage or is it “Optics?” Does Fisk want to rehabilitate his reputation and serve as an honest mayor and he kept his distance from Vanessa because she’s running his criminal empire? “Optics” presents a lot of interesting questions.

The episode’s title works for Murdock as well. He encounters White Tiger, another vigilante. His investigator friend warns him about stepping into the life of Daredevil. White Tiger’s case also seems unwinnable. Is Murdock taking on the case because White Tiger reminds him of Daredevil? Daredevil: Born Again skates lightly over White Tiger’s abilities. He doesn’t don his outfit when he helps a helpless person from a set of crooked cops. White Tiger’s inclusion is to set up an interesting court drama that should parallel Kingpin’s desire to rid New York of all its vigilantes. That’s not at all self-serving. Wink.

Murdock tries to be a lawyer and only a lawyer. This plays as his way of honoring Foggy’s death. But “Optics” ends with Murdock getting jumped by another set of crooked cops. Reluctantly, Matt fights back and we’re left with a classic Daredevil fight scene (close quarters and in your face), albeit one with Matt dressed in a suit and tie. It shouldn’t be long before we see Daredevil’s rebirth.

I mentioned this in the previous post, but the combination of watching “Heaven’s Half Hour” and “Optics” made the Daredevil: Born Again premiere a success. I commend Marvel’s foresight for releasing the first two episodes on the same night. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Daredevil: Born Again, Heaven’s Half Hour

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Daredevil: Born Again is one of Geekly’s most anticipated Marvel releases this year. Heck. Most people couldn’t wait for season one of Daredevil: Born Again to release. I’ve even said that Daredevil: Born Again must succeed. So, how did the show measure up to this anticip-ation?

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. I’m a little late with Geekly’s review of Daredevil: Born Again’s first two episodes but that’s because the first two episodes didn’t hit as well at first for me as it has with most people. Daredevil: Born Again’s first two episodes rate highly on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and several other media outlets, so I’m in the minority. I watched these two episodes twice to find out why they didn’t land as well for me. I’ll start with the first episode, “Heaven’s Half Hour.” Hint: the second episode “Optics” showed promise and has me pumped for the third episode. Sigh of relief. Daredevil: Born Again is a great series.

But Daredevil: Born Again isn’t a great continuation of the original Netflix Daredevil. Full disclosure: after learning that Marvel wanted to continue where the original Daredevil left off, I watched the third season last week to prepare. Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t completely pick up where the previous show left off. It weaves in elements of the previous series. The two are different enough and Daredevil: Born Again takes some liberties.

I love that Marvel brought back Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin). Those two actors embody those two characters. I’m never going to say no to Cox and D’Onofrio in a Daredevil project. I also love that Daredevil: Born Again brings back most of the original cast, even if it’s for a moment. Daredevil: Born Again does a fine job of capturing the original show’s veneer.

I say veneer instead of aesthetic because the external look of Daredevil: Born Again matches the original series, but the finer points differ–at least for the first episode. Several things felt off, but the most jarring change comes from Daredevil: Born Again’s camera work. A vlogger reports on the state of New York City. While this does an adequate job of letting the audience know the passage of time and the state of the city, it feels more at home in a Spider-Man project. Honestly, I expected to see someone play an acoustic guitar and sing about Spider-Man.

The non-vlogging camera work on “Heaven’s Half Hour” has more zoomed-out scenes. It felt out-of-place. In particular, the fight scene between Daredevil and Dex (who finally wears Bullseye garb, even if it’s just his gloves) feels different because the audience gets a bird’s eye view of the fight. The original series prided itself on up close and personal fights. One could feel each punch and kick.

The real kicker was how Daredevil: Born Again treated the former show’s cast. We’re getting into spoiler territory here. You’ve been warned. Foggy’s death (in the first ten minutes) gave the scene weight. That’s good and in keeping with the original show. Daredevil never shied away from killing off popular characters. Dex needed to pay for his crimes and for killing Foggy. Daredevil: Born Again suggests why Dex changed targets from Karen to Foggy, but it felt rushed.

Daredevil’s third season shows Karen staying in New York despite how bad things got, with people she cared about dying around her, and at the risk of her life. Karen’s actions felt off. While I could buy her leaving the city over grief (this could echo her leaving her family) Karen’s absence played more like Daredevil: Born Again wanting to start a new law office for Matt Murdock by any means necessary. And again, this development felt rushed.

“Heaven’s Half Hour” bogs down because it pulls double duty. It sheds the previous Daredevil series while trying to set up a new series. Like I said, I wouldn’t watch the original series right before watching Daredevil: Born Again. It colored my enjoyment of the show. Daredevil: Born Again is excellent separated from the original series. It’s easily one of Marvel’s best.

That brings me back to more praise for Daredevil: Born Again. While at first jarring, the camera work is deliberate. “Heaven’s Half Hour” zooms out from the action to give the audience detachment. Sure, this marks the end of the original Daredevil and the beginning of a new show, but it also mirrors Matt Murdock’s mental and emotional state. He becomes detached. The audience won’t see those in-your-face fights until the end of the second episode “Optics.” Disney+ released the first two episodes on the same night because they wanted the audience to see Matt Murdock’s change.

If I had only seen “Heaven’s Half Hour” this week, I may have been disappointed. Watched together, the first two episodes make for an interesting character study for Matt Murdock, and that was a big strength of the original series. So, perhaps the two shows aren’t that far apart. Thank you for reading. We’ll be back in an hour or so with our take on Daredevil: Born Again’s second episode “Optics.”

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Harley Quinn: “Frankette” Review

Published on by SeasonLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

I’m going to preface “Frankette” by saying I was a bit shocked by the ending. Not entirely, but the buildup to Brainiac being the season finale villain was being hammered home so much that I wasn’t expecting him to fizzle out this episode.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Harley and Ivy this episode. We got to see a volatile argument play out due to extenuating circumstances. Both of them wanted to honor Frank in their own way and butted heads (to put it mildly). It was nice to take a break from the lovey-dovey stuff they’ve been doing in previous episodes. That said, I think Ivy’s normally the one who expresses extreme anger when she’s upset. Harley’s been more of the pushy one between the two of them. I think their fallout at the end of “Frankette” is reparable. If it isn’t, that’d make for an interesting story.

On to Frankette herself. Her birth was hilarious. Frank giving a sermon at his own funeral just so she could pop out of the soil over his grave was done in a way I’d only expect from Harley Quinn. I’m not entirely convinced Ivy genuinely cares for Frankette outside of Frank telling her to rescue Frankette. Their moment at the end of “Frankette” was heartwarming, but I think Ivy is still seeing Frank, despite her initial rejection of Frankette. I think she’s getting there, but “Frankette” happened over the course of a day.

I enjoy Lena being the main villain of Season 5. Her taking over Brainiac’s ship at the end of “Frankette” for her own best interest was very much in character. I’m excited to see where else Harley Quinn is going to take her.

Side note: Bane is the best babysitter.

Kyra’s Take

Season did a great job covering “Frankette’s” plot points, so I won’t get into too much detail. Harley Quinn has a knack for heel and face turns. These turns happen numerous times during a season, but the showrunners find ways to keep them fresh and unexpected.

Parenthood has been a not-so-hidden theme for Harley Quinn’s fifth season. The show took a detour a few weeks ago when it explored Bruce’s relationships with Dick Grayson and Damien and the Joker with his stepdaughter. Harley Quinn followed that episode with one of Brainiac’s family and loss. It was only a matter of time before Harley and Ivy would be thrust into parenthood. Heck. Harley babysat Shaun the Shark a few times before Frankette made her debut. Even Bane makes his return with his adopted daughter Goldilocks in this episode. Despite her shocking origin, Harley Quinn’s creative team built up Frankette. Those “detours” that I mentioned before weren’t detours at all.

Harley Quinn’s creators do a fabulous job of world and character-building. Lena stays true to herself. Perhaps, we should’ve seen that she would become Season 5’s main villain. But are we sure Harley Quinn doesn’t have another turn or two for the balance of power to shift again? A lot can happen in three Harley Quinn episodes. I could see another tectonic shift. Superman and Lois Lane are still in play. Harley and Ivy’s relationship is on the rocks again, and that tends to add a little spice.

Harley Quinn needed to inject some turmoil into Harley and Ivy’s relationship. I agree with Season that the fallout at the end of this episode should be reparable. Harley and Ivy working through their problems is a strength of this show. It shouldn’t be easy for the power to make amends. Only time will tell. My biggest gripe is that this season of Harley Quinn only has three more episodes.

Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Harley Quinn: “Big Pasta Dinner” Review

Published on by SeasonLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

Not going to lie. I have no idea where to start with “Big Pasta Dinner.” There were so many good moments and an even balance among the characters featured in this episode.

If I had to pick a focal point of this episode, I’d say Harley took the stage most of the time, but only by a small margin. The bat family definitely had more of the heartwarming moments. The Bruce Wayne/Joker heart-to-heart in the sauna was the most surprising. Definitely not something I’d expect in any other DC show. We got to experience Bruce grow as a person in real time. Well, save for his taste in girlfriends.

Shaun the Shark being featured in “Big Pasta Dinner” was a treat for me. Even though we’ve had a lack of King Shark in Season 5, Shaun’s shenanigans this episode helped lighten the heaviness of the bat family.

Speaking of shenanigans, Alfred turning on the bat family was a fun twist. It wasn’t out of left field for a show like Harley Quinn, but it also wasn’t something I was necessarily expecting, either. It was a bit off to me that Dick forgave Harley for killing him after she saved his life one time. Other than that, I enjoyed this episode.

Kyra’s Take

Agreed. Alfred exacting revenge on the bat family, and Bruce Wayne in particular, may seem odd in any other show based on DC Comics besides Harley Quinn. Bruce had it coming. This version of Bruce doesn’t even know Alfred’s surname. He calls him Alfred Butler. Butler? Try Pennyworth. It’s sad when Harley knows Alfred’s surname and Bruce doesn’t.

Like I said at the beginning of this season, the original Harley Quinn creative team has taken back the reigns in Season 5. They pivoted hard from the Gotham Sirens and let the Dick Grayson revenge thread slide for half a season. Dick returns in “Big Pasta Dinner,” and the show gives another nod to DC Comics history. Dick dons the Red X disguise, which is an alternate outfit he wore to get close to Deathstroke during a Teen Titans comics storyline. An excellent way to resolve the story that this creative team didn’t start in Season 4 and an amazing reference.

I agree with Season. We can use as much Shaun the Shark as possible; he is a treat. But Shaun became more than comic relief for the episode’s heavier moments. I also like how Harley Quinn worked Shaun’s penchant for destruction in her favor. This did a lot to merge the two disparate story threads.

I loved the Joker and Bruce as middle-aged dads thread. Season mentioned their heart-to-heart in the sauna. I have to agree that it was surprising. Joker giving Bruce parenting advice with his clown makeup running was hilarious and endearing. And Bruce’s son and Joker’s stepdaughter dating by the end of the episode set the show for more parental shenanigans.

Thank you for reading. Wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: “Tangled Web” Review

Published on by SkyeLeave a comment

Skye’s Thoughts

It’s safe to say: I’m hooked on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. After the previous episode, “Scorpion Rising,” “Tangled Web” complements it perfectly. Considering how heavy and action-packed the previous episode was, this episode is more introspective and patient. As a result, some of the most emotional moments of the series so far came out of this episode.

Peter doubts his abilities as Spider-Man after being put out of commission by Scorpion. It feels genuine and heartbreaking when Peter breaks down in front of Aunt May. That was the closest I’ve come to tearing up in this series so far. I imagine I’ll be bawling when Lonnie passes the point of no return.

Speaking of Lonnie, his progression from lovable meat-head genius to cruel and hardened gang member, has been done believably. Getting him into the 110 in the first place was kinda forced, but now that he’s in it, he’s started embracing the violence. In a way, it reminds me of Walter White’s progression from Breaking Bad. Only much faster. He starts committing criminal acts to protect his family only to eventually realize he loves it and fully surrenders to crime. There are many opportunities for dramatic moments here, and they start with Pearl breaking up with Lonnie. 😦

Norman’s development is the most interesting. In a surprise twist, the creators make us think he’s going to coin a famous Spider-Man phrase, but he spins it. In the process, he reveals his true personality. Instead of saying “With great power comes great responsibility,” he says “With great power comes great respect.” Norman thinks Peter needs to use his powers to make these criminals submit to him, and I’m getting excited about the Green Goblin’s introduction. We already saw the Goblin Glider in the last episode.

I could talk about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man for pages on end; I love it that much. Also, never once have I skipped the intro. And I never will. There’s a lot that went down in this episode, and plenty I didn’t discuss. Season, what are your thoughts?

Season’s Take

I also liked Norman changing the famous “responsibility” to “respect.” He makes the phrase his own. This is very telling for his character. It’s a very “Norman” thing to say.

Harry played quite the role in “Tangled Web,” acting as Peter’s confidant when he didn’t think he could talk to anyone else. It’s a little on point when Aunt May said she wanted Peter to have a person he could confide in like Uncle Ben. However, I’m digging the exploration of Harry’s character.

Nico takes a back seat in this episode, and that’s warranted. I don’t think there was much they could have done with her in this episode. Pearl and Lonnie breaking up makes me wonder if this will be the catalyst for Pearl becoming Wave in the coming episodes. I kind of hope it’ll happen before the end of Season 1.

We saw him in “Unicorn Unleashed!” as Dmitri Smerdyakov. Today, we saw him as “Chameleon,” dealing as an information broker. I never thought a plain white mask would be so iconic.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to dive deeper into Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, follow this link for episodes 6, 7, and 8’s Secrets (Easter Eggs).

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: “Scorpion Rising” Review

Published on by SkyeLeave a comment

Skye’s Thoughts

So…things are looking pretty bleak right for the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man gang. Nico and Peter’s relationship is on the rocks. Pearl just found out Lonnie’s secret. Norman’s second identity is starting to appear. And, to top it all off, Scorpion nearly killed Spider-Man. Despite the huge moment at the end of the episode, I still found myself caring a lot about Peter’s and Lonnie’s social life.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man balances genuine character moments with harsh comic-book action well. I was worried in the last episode that the show wouldn’t be able to deliver on the plot threads it set up. Thankfully, the show is proving me wrong. Now that we’ve had ample time to get to know these characters, their personalities, choices, and struggles are falling into place. Considering this is a superhero story, the social drama is surprisingly fun to watch. In my opinion, because it subtly reveals a lot about Peter’s friends’ backstories.

With Nico, we’ve seen her win an impromptu street race with the help of Harry’s rich car, and her crystal necklace. As someone who’s into crystals and tarot, this speaks to me. Not only that but the way she and Harry have been interacting shows who they are. Harry has a shaky relationship with his father. After learning Norman called Harry to talk for Peter and not his own son, Harry deflates. Nico has a difficult family life too, and the show implies she and Harry would make good friends.

With Lonnie, it’s not looking good. Both he and Pearl got caught up in the Scorpion’s attack on the 110, and this makes me even more excited for what’s to come. I will say, the way Pearl found out Lonnie’s secret was a bit forced. Dre texts her because he somehow knows Pearl’s phone number. I don’t know.

I want to keep talking about this show because it ignites the imagination. If you’d like to discuss the show with us, leave a comment and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. I don’t want to take too long though, so let’s let Season have a turn.

Season’s Take

I agree with Skye that Pearl showing up at 110 did feel a bit forced in the sense of the timing. I think she would have shown up regardless due to her worry for Lonnie and Dre’s being upset with Lonnie for taking “his thing.” She just happened to show up at a violent moment in the show because drama.

I like that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has, so far, not been as centered on Spider-Man himself as opposed to Spider-Man stories in other mediums. Don’t get me wrong. We see a lot of Spidey. I’m just enjoying the time we get to spend with not just the other characters, but how other characters in the show interpret Spider-Man/Peter Parker. There are moments sprinkled throughout the show of people speaking for Peter when he’s not around (mostly Nico and Harry).

Speaking of Nico and Harry, I thought it was cute watching them become friends naturally. The scene with Nico racing in Harry’s car to stand up for him was one of this episode’s highlights.

I thought Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was more of a kids’ show at first glance. After watching “Scorpion Rising” through to the end, I’ve changed my tune. I don’t think many kids’ shows have stabbings in them. The Easter egg of Norman Osborn’s Goblin Glider swooping in to save Spidey at the end served as a nice precursor for what’s to come.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to dive deeper into Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, follow this link for episodes 6, 7, and 8’s Secrets (Easter Eggs).

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: “Duel With the Devil” Review

Published on by SkyeLeave a comment

Skye’s Thoughts

Ah, another Wednesday. Time for more Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man! In my opinion, this episode laid out interesting future story threads. While I was intrigued by the ideas in the previous episodes, I mentioned that it didn’t feel like they were progressing. Now, everything is falling into place.

In fact, so much happened in this episode that it’s difficult to cover in one post. Just a heads-up: Spoilers. Lonnie’s connection with the 110 Gang catches up with his everyday life. School is getting difficult for Peter, Pearl, and Nico. Especially after Nico found out Peter’s secret. Thanks, Harry. There’s more to Norman than what’s on the surface after Spider-Man’s encounter with Daredevil (hence the episode title). And Mac Gargan’s Gang has tracked down the 110’s hideout while getting outfitted with Octavius tech. Yeah. That’s a lot.

If I had to nitpick anything, the show’s feeling overcrowded. Sure, each of these developments makes me want to keep watching, but there are a lot of them for one episode. I can see why these episodes are 30 minutes. Despite longer episodes, will it be possible to give each of these story threads the attention they need?

I mentioned in the past that it felt like the show was looking for excuses to keep audiences watching. By throwing in major developments at the end of episodes, it seemed like the show was desperate for viewers. What I like about these new developments is that, after the buildup of the previous plot threads, it feels like they’re starting to amount to something. That’s where I give leeway.

Of course, there’s still time for this show to either wow me or disappoint me (I hope it’s the former), but let’s throw it over to Season before I start rambling.

Season’s Take

For me, “Duel with the Devil” didn’t feel overcrowded so much as expecting to have a long run with the dozens of characters. I mean, it’s Spider-Man. They’re likely going to get several seasons out of this show. Spider-Man also has a large rogues gallery. If this show is taking notes from Harley Quinn, they’re going to explore many of Spidey’s rogues.

That said, I do like the time the show takes to pull in smaller Spider-Man villains as part of the main cast. As someone more familiar with the prolific Spider-Man villains, it’s nice to see something different. The show progressed naturally with this episode having a lot of rising action regarding relationships between the characters and themselves. We saw a bit of doubt in previous episodes, but “Duel With the Devil” brought that doubt to the forefront.

The way it is now, the show is somewhat predictable. We know Norman Osborn is going to be the Green Goblin at some point and we already saw Lonnie get his nickname as Tombstone. Nico will likely become Sister Grimm or The Gloom. I really hope they go with the latter. Harry’s a bit of a wild card. I’m curious to see who he chooses once the inevitable Green Goblin/Spider-Man showdown occurs. If I’m wrong about my predictions in future episodes, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to dive deeper into Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, follow this link for episodes 6, 7, and 8’s Secrets (Easter Eggs).

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Harley Quinn: “Breaking Brainiac” Review

Published on by SeasonLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

Brainiac has been hinted at for the past few episodes. Now, it’s his time to shine. And boy, do we get a lot of Brainiac this episode.

I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t expecting the first half of “Breaking Brainiac” to include Brainiac’s backstory. I suppose I should have expected it since we saw the creation of Floronic Man in “Back to School.” It was emotionally charging for me, but it wasn’t as dark as Ivy’s backstory in previous episodes. Since “Breaking Brainiac” didn’t have as dramatic shifts in tone, the inclusion of jokes throughout Brainiac’s backstory softened the blow for his family’s demise.

Lena Luthor flips a switch in this episode. Well, I guess she was going to do whatever she felt was best for her. I wasn’t sure which way they’d decide to go with her. Who knows? She may help out Harley and Ivy in the future. I think she’ll come out the other end of the Brainiac saga relatively unscathed.

I liked the lack of Harley and Ivy in “Breaking Brainiac.” We had two heavy Ivy episodes in a row. The way things were set up by the end of “Floronic Man,” it looked like we’d have another heavy Harley/Ivy episode. They haven’t had a chance at being side characters for a bit.

Kyra’s Take

I agree that Harley Quinn does well when it takes a break from the title character, and “Breaking Brainiac” was a welcome break from Harley and Ivy. We’ve gotten a lot of heavy Harley/Ivy episodes lately.

Despite Harley Quinn weaving in Floronic Man’s backstory into present events during “Back to School,” Brainiac’s flashback in “Breaking Brainiac” dominated this week’s episode. It may have taken up more than half of the episode. I don’t know how Harley Quinn could have done this differently. Even though this was a major shift, the audience needs to know who this version of Brainiac is, and following the episode where Harley and Ivy get kidnapped by Brainiac is a good excuse to hit rewind and explore this new character.

Harley Quinn stays true to classic DC Comics characters while taking these characters in a different direction. “Breaking Brainiac” is no exception. I squeed when Brainiac’s son shrank a city filled with people and waited for Harley Quinn to show us Kandor. Harley Quinn delivered on that promise. It also delivered with a heart-felt Brainiac story. I’ll echo Season’s sentiment, jokes soften the blow of Brainiac’s family’s demise. These jokes come in the form of an android suffering through domestic bliss.

When we catch up with Harley and Ivy and the now, we see Brainiac struggling with the loss of his family. However misguided, he wants to achieve perfection so no one has to suffer the fate his family did. Ironically, he views Harley as Metropolis’s biggest imperfection, which makes me wonder why Lena Luthor, who is revealed to be working with Brainiac, invited Harley to Metropolis and why she insists on Harley staying. My tension sense is tingling.

“Breaking Brainiac” lays down a great foundation. I can’t wait to see where this season goes. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 02

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: “The Unicorn Unleashed!” Review

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Season’s Thoughts

We’ve hit the third episode in a row this week. More revelations come to light at the end of the episode in addition to some friendship woes. Let’s go!

“The Unicorn Unleashed!” features four Russian criminals working together. They outright say what their villain counterparts are (except for Dmitri, the Chameleon). This episode centers on Mila Masaryk as The Unicorn through Otto Octavius’s gear. She busts her friends out of jail but gets power-hungry. There already wasn’t much of a sense of camaraderie among the four in “Hitting the Big Time,” so this wasn’t unexpected. I’m unsure if Mikhail’s son is going to be the Rhino in future episodes or if they’ll have Mikhail be the Rhino. I’m leaning toward the latter.

Peter’s friendship with Nico is suffering as he’s making less time for her and being dismissive. This could lead into her origin story and I’m hoping it does. This uneasiness was sprinkled throughout this episode more than it was in “Hitting the Big Time,” so I’m hoping they explore it more in future episodes. That brings me to Lonnie.

We got a lot of Lonnie in Episode 4. They kept that momentum going with Episode 5. Lonnie gets called into a gang fight against the Scorpions and saves Big Donovan’s life. I half-expected him to ask for his freedom from the gang as a reward. Instead, he asked Big Donovan to stop calling him “Superstar.” Tombstone is born.

Skye’s Take

Lonnie continues to be my favorite character. Despite not being the focus of this episode or the previous, he steals the screen every time he’s on it. Especially now that he’s officially “Tombstone.”

Even though Lonnie’s transition is good, the Peter/Spider-Man stuff is still cool. Things move forward in his story: his new relationship with Harry (after discovering his identity), his current relationship with Nico, and crime fighting. Weirdly, I’m more interested in Lonnie’s story. Don’t get me wrong, I like Spider-Man as much as the next person, but now that Lonnie’s story is popping off, Spider-Man feels like a side story. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen Spider-Man done so many times before. Some of the general crime-fighting fare is a bit old to me now. Heck, even Peter struggling with his social life is a bit overplayed.

While more villains were established, mostly with Doc Ock in the opening and the gender-swapped Unicorn, it still doesn’t seem like much is being done with them yet. I can respect the creators biding their time and waiting for the opportune moment to release them, but it feels like cliffhanging for viewers. If you promise enough villains for seasoned fans, eventually you’ll hook them whether or not you deliver.

Lonnie’s story alone is enough to keep me coming back to this show. Although, if they unveil a big-name Spider-Man villain soon, that’d help spice up the Peter stuff.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to dive deeper into Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, follow this link for episodes 3, 4, and 5’s Secrets (Easter Eggs).